Wireless security systems, as compared to their hard-wired counterparts, are made up of wireless sensor-transmitters of various types that each communicate by radio frequency (RF) wireless transmissions to a system control device that controls the operation of the security system and responds to transmissions it receives in an appropriate manner, for example, by initiating an alarm message or call for help. Wireless security systems are particularly useful for implementation in existing facilities that were not designed from the outset to have a security system and thus do not include all the wiring necessary for a hard-wired security system. Wireless security systems avoid the need for hard-wired connections to every monitored location, though wireless security systems can have a mix of wired and wireless sensors.
For a variety of reasons, it is often desirable to upgrade an existing wireless security system to include additional or different forms of protection. This may be the case if, for example, a facility (for example, a home, commercial facility, etc.) has expanded in size, the system in place has some features that are undesirable for the facility owner or operator, or the facility owner or operator wishes to have a different monitoring company in charge of the facility (for example, a monitoring company that charges a lower monthly fee), and that monitoring company requires a particular system control device with which to communicate. In such a case, it may be desirable to switch the existing system control device to a control device that has some advantage that is valuable to the facility owner or operator, but that is only able to detect and receive transmissions from sensor-transmitters that have a particular data packet protocol and definitional parameters that are specifically designed to work with the new system control device. That said, it is also not desirable to have to discard entirely an entire existing wireless security system simply to migrate to a different system control device. In particular, the existing system may include various sensor-transmitters that are satisfactory and effective, but do not transmit with a protocol compatible with the new system control device.
Another common scenario is that a competing alarm company sells a facility owner or operator a new alarm panel (system control device) that offers features not previously available when an original wireless security system was purchased. This may be driven by mobile phone connectivity and internet connectivity, for example. This competing alarm company may sell a different manufacturer control panel, and if so, may wish to leave the sensors in place to reduce the cost to the consumer and thus increase the chance of converting the customer to an upgraded system.
In addition to an upgrade scenario, it also may be the case for a wireless security system install being configured from the outset that the installer may wish to include, for a particular facility, sensor-transmitters from more than one manufacturer, or even different sensor-transmitters from the same manufacturer that have different communication configuration or protocols, or in other words, sensor-transmitters that do not all use the same data packet or communications protocol for wireless transmissions made by the sensor-transmitters. For example, the installer may be of the opinion that a certain type of sensor from manufacturer #1 is superior in performance or other factors to the same type of sensor from manufacturer #2, but that a different type of sensor from manufacturer #2 is superior to the same type of sensor from manufacturer #1. It would be beneficial in such a case to provide an easy manner for the installer to be able to implement so-called “best of breed” sensor-transmitters in a wireless security system regardless of the manufacturing source of those sensors and hence the communications protocol and definitional parameters used by those sensor-transmitters.
Another scenario that is sometimes present in the wireless security marketplace is a smaller manufacturer may have its own wireless protocol, but offers only a limited suite of sensor-transmitters to be used with its system. As such, this smaller manufacturer may wish to enable other manufacturers' sensor-transmitters to be used with its system.